Franklin Alexander McGinty, born 22 November 1911 in Atlanta, Ga., enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve 17 August 1942 and joined Plymouth (PG‑57) 1 January 1943 for duty as soundman third class. On 5 August the gunboat was hit by a torpedo as she prepared to depth charge U‑566 off Cape Charles. Despite raging fires, McGinty entered the ship-s magazine where he attempted to rescue a trapped shipmate. He, too, was trapped by the flames and was unable to escape before Plymouth sank. For extraordinary heroism without regard for his own safety, McGinty was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously.

After shakedown off Bermuda and training along the east coast, McGinty departed Norfolk 4 December for escort duty in the western Pacific. As flagship for Escort Division 86, she touched at San Diego and Pearl Harbor and reached Eniwetok 16 January 1945. Later that day she continued on to Guam as convoy escort. During the next 3 months she escorted ships from Eniwetok to Guam and Ulithi. She completed three round trips between. Eniwetok and Guam and two between Eniwetok and Ulithi. She escorted tankers, transports, and escort carriers as well as merchant ships.

McGinty arrived Ulithi 27 April and served there as patrol ship until 15 June; thence, after a run to Guam and back, she sailed in convoy for Okinawa 1 July. She returned to Ulithi via Saipan the 12th; completed a similar run to the Palaus and back 23 July; departed on a second Okinawa run 4 August; and returned to Ulithi V‑J Day. Thence between 22 and 26 August she sailed to Okinawa for duty with the 5th Fleet.

On 9 September McGinty sailed in the screen of a minesweeping and evacuation force bound for Japan. She arrived Wakayama, Honshu, the 11th and supported the evacuation of POWs before sailing for Okinawa the 18th. She returned to Wakayama a week later and resumed her support of occupation operations along the Honshu coast. During the next 2 months she escorted ships between the Inland Sea and Tokyo Bay, served as a harbor entrance control ship in the swept channel of Bungo Suido, and made courier runs out of Wakayama. Departing Japan 2 January 1946. McGinty sailed via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor to San Francisco where she arrived 22 January. She steamed to San Diego 23 and 24 March; decommissioned there 15 January 1947; and was berthed in the San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet.

Following the outbreak of Communist aggression in South Korea, McGinty recommissioned at San Diego 28 March 1951, Lt. Comdr. Frederick W. Pennoyer in command. She carried out intensive training along the west coast and at Pearl Harbor; thence, as flagship of Escort Squadron 11, she sailed for the Far East 29 October. Arriving Korean waters 21 November, she began blockade and patrol duty in Wonsan Harbor and conducted numerous shore bombardments of Communist‑held positions. She returned to Japan in mid‑December, thence joined the mighty 7th Fleet-s patrols of vigilance in the Straits of Formosa 6 January 1952 to protect the Chinese Nationalists from the menace of Chinese communism. She returned to the east coast of the war‑torn Korean Peninsula and between 5 March and 29 April carried out two more blockade and bombardment deployments at Wonsan. She departed Japan 15 May and returned to her home port at Pearl Harbor the 24th.

During the next year McGinty prepared for additional WestPac duty. After arriving Sasebo, Japan, 20 May 1953, she resumed patrol duty along the east coast of Korea and screened ships during at sea replenishment operations. Following the cessation of hostilities, she continued peacekeeping patrols and took part in ASW exercises; thence, she departed the Far East 2 December.

On 17 November 1954 McGinty sailed on her third cold war deployment to the Far East. During the remainder of the year she patrolled the Sea of Japan off Korea, and on 1 January 1955 she transferred this important peacekeeping duty to ships of the Republic of Korea's Navy in a ceremony at Pusan. She continued to support "keeping the peace" missions of the powerful 7th Fleet. In February she served in the screen for the Mobile Replenishment Group which supported the 7th Fleet during the timely and successful evacuation of the Tachen Islands. This display of mighty U.S. seapower permitted the removal of Chinese Nationalists from an untenable position on the coastal islands along the mainland of China and was called "the most forthright U.S. action against communism since the Korean War."

McGinty returned to pearl Harbor from WestPac 23 May and conducted type and squadron operations out of Pearl Harbor during the rest of 1955. Between April and July 1956 she supported U.S. nuclear testing programs in the Pacific Proving Grounds of the Marshall Islands; she served both as a survey and a search and rescue ship. Thence, she returned to Pearl Harbor for duty in the Hawaiian area until 17 June 1957 when she sailed to rejoin the 7th Fleet. For more than 4 months she ranged the western Pacific from the Marianas and the Philippines to Australia and Japan. She arrived Pearl Harbor 5 November.

On 7 June 1958 McGinty began her fifth Far East deployment of the decade. While operating in the Marianas, she joined Escort Squadron 7 on 1 July. Between 15 September and 12 October she patrolled the northern station of the Taiwan Strait with other ships of the powerful 7th Fleet. This timely demonstration thwarted the possible Communist invasion of the Chinese Nationalist islands of Quemoy and Matsu. Thus, the peacekeeping shield of U.S. seapower had blunted another Chinese Communist probe against the forces of freedom on Taiwan.

McGinty steamed to Seattle, Wash., 3 to 9 January 1959. She decommissioned at Portland, Oreg., 19 September 1959; and assigned to ResCortDiv 13, she was placed in service as a group II selected reserve destroyer escort. Manned by a reserve crew, she performed vital training duty for Naval Reserves. In response to overt Communist pressures by East Germany against West Berlin, McGinty was mobilized by Presidential order 25 August 1961 and recommissioned 2 October 1961, Comdr. Jerome E. Aakhus in command.

McGinty sailed to Pearl Harbor and, as flagship for Escort Squadron 7, trained in Hawaiian waters until departing for WestPac 10 February 1962. She bolstered the peacekeeping efforts of the versatile 7th Fleet while cruising the Far East from the South China Sea to the Sea of Japan. She returned to Portland 17 July, decommissioned 1 August 1962, and resumed in service duty as a training ship for Naval Reserves.

Operating out of Portland, McGinty provided valuable service as a training ground to maintain the operational and combat readiness of reservists. In addition, she took part in summer training exercises in Hawaiian waters and along the west coast. While remaining ready to meet the threats to world peace from Communist aggression and subversion, she also responded promptly to the menace of natural disasters. During a flood which affected much of Oregon and portions of northern California in late December 1964, she provided material assistance to emergency teams and lifesaving missions in the stricken areas.

McGinty was transferred to the Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Wash., 23 September 1968; her name was struck from the Navy list the same day; and she was sold for scrapping in early 1969.